Coevolutionary approach to unlock the transformative potential of nature-based solutions for more inclusive and resilient communities

For COEVOLVERS, it is crucial to explore how nature, the human relation to nature, and nature-based solutions (NBS) are understood and enabled in the everyday lives of citizens.

According to the European Commission’s definition, nature-based solutions (NBS) are “solutions that are inspired and supported by nature, simultaneously provide environmental, social, and economic benefits, and help build resilience. Such solutions bring nature and natural features and processes into cities, landscapes, and seascapes”. The research project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme and called COEVOLVERS, works on the co-design of fair NBS governance techniques, models, and practices – fair for humans as well as nonhumans.

The NBS approach of the project is embedded in both the human domain of the technosphere (such as urban systems) and the biosphere (such as the corresponding urban ecosystems). NBS combines human elements with natural components and processes, resulting in synergetic effects and an increase in coevolutionary potential. Sustainable coevolutionary pathways both for the environment made by humans and for nature. For example, an urban green space designed to create affordances for humans conducive to a healthy life and for nonhumans sustaining and enriching ecosystem diversity. For COEVOLVERS, NBS design and implementation call for a coevolutionary understanding of how NBS emerges, formalises, and changes.

The goal of the project is to provide an understanding of the birth and establishment of fairer NBS, especially from the perspectives of the most vulnerable humans and nonhumans. For that reason, the project involves people suffering from loneliness, mental health issues, educational poverty, lack of green-space-related opportunities, climate change, economic isolation due to their cross-boundary situation, city dwellers in post-industrial suburbs as well as nonhumans suffering from urbanization or other aspects of the ecological crisis. The project partners work toward co-creating NBS that strengthen the reciprocal relationship between humans and nature. 

COEVOLVERS’ ‘community of inquiry’ was established applying a transdisciplinary approach; human scientists, natural scientists, different kinds of local stakeholder groups (e.g., local inhabitants), and nonhuman actors. 

Project partners include the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) (coordinator), the University of Erfurt (Germany), the University of Cagliari (Italy), the Institute of Forest Ecology Slovak Academy of Sciences (Slovakia), the James Hutton Institute (UK), Environmental Social Science Research Group Nonprofit Ltd. (Hungary), the University of Tartu (Estonia), the Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (Spain), Cetip Network SRO (Czech Republic), the City of Turku (Finland), and the Magház Association (Hungary).